Thousands of devotees heading to the Maha Kumbh are stranded on highways due to massive traffic jams, reportedly spanning hundreds of kilometers, on routes leading to Prayagraj. Reports suggest the queue of stranded vehicles stretches up to 300 km, reports NDTV.
Days after Basant Panchmi's Amrit Snan, there were assumptions that the crowds may drop. However, it now looks like just the opposite, as thousands of people continue to head to Prayagraj for the holy dip.
Finding it difficult to manage the traffic, the police in several districts of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh have stopped vehicle movement on a route to Prayagraj. "It's impossible to go towards Prayagraj on Monday as there is a traffic jam of 200-300 kilometres," reports quoted the police as saying.
The jams were caused by the weekend rush, said Inspector General of Police (Rewa zone) Saket Prakash Pandey. He said the situation is likely to ease in a couple of days and vehicles are being allowed only in coordination with the Prayagraj administration.
"It is being claimed that vehicles are stuck for 48 hours. It is taking almost 10-12 hours to cover just 50 km," said a man stuck in traffic.
A jam of up to 25 km was reported on routes leading to Prayagraj from Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur. Even inside the city hosting the mega Kumbh festival, a jam of about seven kilometers was witnessed.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Kuldeep Singh said the jam was due to a very high number of vehicles trying to reach the Mela site. "The number of vehicles is very high. The passengers are trying to come as close as possible to the Maha Kumbh Mela area. Due to this, there is a long jam," he said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the traffic congestion in Prayagraj, claiming that it has also led to a shortage of essential commodities in the city.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raiha
